Miscellaneous

More About Me

Piano & Classical Music

I began studying piano at the age of 7 under Xi Chen and Yunjuan Li, and classical music has remained an important part of my life ever since.

To me, listening to and performing classical music is similar to doing research. Reading a musicscore feels like reading a composer’s “paper” across time—trying to understand not only what is written, but also the ideas, emotions, and intentions behind every motif. Each performance is then my own interpretation of that conversation: an attempt to bring those ideas to the audience through my own understanding and expression.

Chamber music has taught me a different lesson. Rehearsing with others reminds me of research collaboration, where people with different perspectives work toward a shared vision. Listening, responding, and building on one another’s ideas creates something that none of us could achieve alone. Those musical conversations have shaped not only how I make music, but also how I approach collaboration in research.

This lifelong journey with classical music has profoundly shaped the way I think, the person I have become, and the way I see the world. It has taught me to think deeply, listen carefully, and seek meaning beneath the surface, while giving me an inner world that continues to inspire and sustain me on both my research and my everyday life.

Selected performance:

• Janacek: Piano Sonata 1.X.1905 “From the Street” [video]